In recent years, advances in technology have led to substantial changes in the design of automobiles. One of the changes involves the complexity, as well as the power usage, of various electrical systems within automobiles, particularly alternative fuel vehicles.
During this time, the requirement for electrical power generation in automotive applications has risen dramatically. This trend had been in place for decades but has accelerated in the last few years largely due to the advent of hybrid, electric, and fuel cell based vehicles. Such vehicles often use electrochemical power sources, such as batteries, ultracapacitors, and fuel cells, to power the electric motors that drive the wheels, sometimes in addition to another power source, such as an internal combustion engine. As the nature of automotive energy sources has rapidly moved in the direction of electrical power, the use of electronic systems including those that operate with high voltage, has inevitably increased as well.
To manage these high voltage requirements, modern alternative fuel cars now routinely carry several varieties of electrical components designed to deliver high levels of power at high voltages. These include power converters such as direct current-to-direct current (DC/DC) converters, that are typically used to control and transfer the power from input voltage sources such as batteries and/or fuel cells. Due to the fact that alternative fuel automobiles typically include only direct current (DC) power supplies, direct current-to-alternating current (DC/AC) inverters (or power inverters) are also provided to convert the DC power to alternating current (AC) power, which is generally required by the primary drive motors.
Many electronic systems and especially those using components that carry high power and/or voltage typically are accompanied by a robust and reliable security system to keep them operable under a myriad of driving conditions. In the past, security for high voltage systems was typically provided for by a durable surrounding housing coupled with an interlock system having mechanical switches designed to detect and respond to any breach to the inner compartment. These systems were reliable but complex; often involving a series of wiring bundles needed to interconnect each of the remote sensors to a central processing unit.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system for providing security for automotive electronic components that is both reliable and simple in design. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.